Setting the Scene: The Lutes play their second ever game today, welcoming Oregon rival Lewis & Clark College to East Field for a non-conference game.
About the Lutes: First game. First goal. First win. In a day of firsts, there was plenty of things to smile about for the Pacific Lutheran University women's lacrosse team on Feb. 16, downing Eastern Oregon University 12-6 in the inaugural game in program history.
In front of a big crowd at East Field, the Lutes (1-0) put on a clinic in the first quarter, scoring the game's opening seven goals to set the lone for the day.
Taylee Alldredge etched her name in the record books, scoring the program's first ever goal four minutes and 26 seconds into the game. The first year would score two more in the opening quarter and six total on the day to steal the spotlight.
Katrina Moran scored less than two minutes after Alldredge to make it 2-0 PLU before Gracie Cecka tallied a goal with 6:32 left in the first quarter with Annie Latimer dishing out the program's first assist. Latimer would add a helper on Alldredge's second goal just over a minute later.
It was a furious finish to the quarter, getting goals from Alldredge, Lydia Flaspohler, and Issabella Marchio all in the final 96 seconds.
The Mountaineers (0-2) got on the board with 11:37 left before halftime in a second quarter that saw both team s score a trio of goals. Alldredge tallied goal number four off a Kathleen Swankowski pass with 10:24 left before halftime while also getting a goal from Veronica Cárdenas Yáñez and a Marchio score with 19 ticks left.
Alldredge scored both of PLU's goals in the third quarter, striking with 1:45 left in the period and again with three ticks left.
Eight total Lutes registered a point in the inaugural game, including a half dozen goals from Alldredge and four assists from Latimer. Marchio had a pair of scores.
Kassie Diller had nine saves on the day, keeping the Mountaineers off the scoreboard in the first quarter and playing all 60 minutes between the posts.
PLU outshot EOU 25-19 on the day, including 12-4 in the offensive onslaught in the opening 15 minutes. The Lutes were 18 for 21 on clears during the game and had 27 ground balls.
The Lutes' inaugural game came 692 days after the University announced it was adding women's lacrosse as the athletic department's 18th varsity sport and first sport expansion since 1996.
About the Pioneers: Lewis & Clark (1-0) opened the 2025 season with a bang on Wednesday, defeating in-state rival Linfield University 14-12 at Griswold Stadium. It was the Pios' first ever home victory for a program that launched only a season ago.
Sage Swegle led the charge with four goals and one assist while Aviana Gonzales had three goals and two helpers. All told, the Pios had six goalscorers in the midweek victory.
Kaitlin McRae had a big night in goal, making 12 saves for a .500 save percentage to secure the win.
Lewis & Clark went 1-12 in its debut season last spring with the lone victory a 14-13 win at the expense of University of Puget Sound in the season finale on April 17.
Luteville Highlights
Trailblazing NIL the D3 Way: PLU Athletics continues to lead the way nationally in Name, Image, and Likeness, unveiling the Luteville Marketplace last fall through the department's partnership with Opendorse. But don't stay on the sidelines, get involved and connect with PLU student-athletes on the Luteville Marketplace: LINK
The Luteville Marketplace is the first dedicated NIL marketplace in Division III on the Opendorse platform that directly connects student-athletes with fans, supporters, and business partners in an easy to use website.
Last spring PLU became just the second Division III school in the nation and the first school in any division in the State of Washington to partner with Athlete's Thread. Athlete's Thread allows every Lute student-athlete to sell customizable gear and jerseys with their name and number and receive monetary compensation for a portion of each sale. Check out the link above to order your gear today!
Stay connected to your favorite teams by downloading the official mobile app of the Pacific Lutheran University athletic department powered by SIDEARM Sports, available in the Apple App Store and on Google Play.
Featuring real-time news alerts, schedules, exclusive multimedia content, gameday details and more, the new PLU Athletics app is free and compatible with both iOS and Android devices.
Next Home Game:
Mar. 11: California Lutheran at 7 p.m.
PLU Non-Discrimination Policy: Pacific Lutheran University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, disability or age in its programs and activities. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies: Title IX Coordinator Jennifer Childress-White; 253-535-7361; TitleIX@plu.edu
Credits:
Lindsey Clark